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What the Bible Says About Death

Overview

The Bible addresses death across 177 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Job, Psalms and Romans. Closely related themes include Resurrection, Rich, The, Immortality and Worldliness. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, Abraham, Peter and David.

Key Bible verses about death

Old Testament

Job

Job 3:18

There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

Job 3:19

The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

Job 7:8

The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. I am: that is, I can live no longer

Job 7:9

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Job 7:10

He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

Job 10:21

Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;

Job 10:22

A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.

Job 14:7

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

Job 14:8

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

Job 14:9

Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

Job 14:10

But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? wasteth: Heb. is weakened, or, cut off

Job 14:11

As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

Job 14:12

So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Job 14:19

The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man. washest: Heb. overflowest

Job 14:20

Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.

Job 14:21

His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

Job 17:13

If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.

Job 17:14

I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. said: Heb. cried, or, called

Job 20:4

Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,

Job 20:5

That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? short: Heb. from near

Job 21:17

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. candle: or, lamp

Job 21:18

They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away. carrieth: Heb. stealeth

Job 21:23

One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. his: Heb. his very, or, the strength of, his perfection

Job 21:24

His breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow. breasts: or, milk pails

Job 21:25

And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.

Job 21:26

They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

Job 21:32

Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb. grave: Heb. graves remain: Heb. watch in the heap

Job 21:33

The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.

Job 27:19

The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.

Job 27:20

Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.

Job 27:21

The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

Job 27:22

For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand. he: Heb. in fleeing he would flee

Job 27:23

Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

Job 34:14

If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; man: Heb. him

Job 34:15

All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.

Job 36:18

Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. deliver: Heb. turn thee aside

Job 36:19

Will he esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.

Psalms

Psalms 37:1

A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

Psalms 37:2

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Psalms 37:9

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Psalms 37:10

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

Psalms 37:35

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. a green: or, a green tree that groweth in his own soil

Psalms 37:36

Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Psalms 49:9

That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

Psalms 49:10

For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

Psalms 49:19

He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. He: Heb. The soul shall

Psalms 49:20

Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 73:3

For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalms 73:4

For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. firm: Heb. fat

Psalms 73:17

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Psalms 73:18

Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

Psalms 73:19

How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Psalms 73:20

As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Psalms 88:9

Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

Psalms 88:10

Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.

Psalms 88:11

Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?

Psalms 88:12

Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalms 88:13

But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

Psalms 88:14

LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?

Psalms 103:14

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Psalms 103:15

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

Psalms 103:16

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. it is: Heb. it is not

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 2:14

The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

Ecclesiastes 2:15

Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. happeneth even: Heb. happeneth to me, even to me

Ecclesiastes 2:16

For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

Ecclesiastes 2:17

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 2:18

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. taken: Heb. laboured

Ecclesiastes 3:19

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 3:20

All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Ecclesiastes 3:21

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? of man: Heb. of the sons of man goeth upward: Heb. is ascending, etc

Ecclesiastes 7:1

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 9:6

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 11:7

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:

Ecclesiastes 11:8

But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

Isaiah

Isaiah 38:10

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

Isaiah 38:11

I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

Isaiah 38:12

Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. with: or, from the thrum

Isaiah 38:13

I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

Isaiah 38:18

For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Isaiah 38:19

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

Isaiah 57:1

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. merciful: Heb. men of kindness, or, godliness from: or, from that which is evil

Isaiah 57:2

He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. enter into: or, go in in his: or, before him

New Testament

Luke

Luke 12:35

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

Luke 12:36

And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

Luke 12:37

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

Luke 16:22

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Luke 16:23

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luke 16:24

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luke 16:25

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

Luke 16:26

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Luke 16:27

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

Luke 16:28

For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Luke 20:34

And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

Luke 20:35

But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Luke 20:36

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Luke 20:37

Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Luke 20:38

For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Luke 23:39

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Luke 23:40

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

Luke 23:41

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Luke 23:42

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Luke 23:43

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Acts

Acts 5:3

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? to lie to: or, to deceive

Acts 5:4

Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Acts 5:5

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Acts 5:6

And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

Acts 5:7

And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

Acts 5:8

And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

Acts 5:9

Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Acts 5:10

Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

Romans

Romans 6:2

God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Romans 6:3

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? were: or, are were: or, are

Romans 6:4

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:5

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Romans 6:6

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Romans 6:7

For he that is dead is freed from sin. freed: Gr. justified

Romans 6:8

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Romans 6:9

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Romans 6:10

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Romans 6:11

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 7:1

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

Romans 7:2

For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

Romans 7:3

So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

Romans 7:4

Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Romans 7:5

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. motions: Gr. passions

Romans 7:6

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. that being: or, being dead to that

Romans 7:7

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. lust: or, concupiscence

Romans 7:8

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

Romans 7:9

For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Romans 7:10

And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

Romans 7:11

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

Romans 8:10

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. by: or, because of

Romans 14:7

For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

Romans 14:8

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 3:21

Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

1 Corinthians 3:22

Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

1 Corinthians 3:23

And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

1 Corinthians 15:21

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:22

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:51

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1 Corinthians 15:52

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:53

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:54

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1 Corinthians 15:55

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? grave: or, hell

1 Corinthians 15:56

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

1 Corinthians 15:57

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

People in the Bible and death

Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.

In the Bible dictionary

Studying death for yourself

  • Begin with 1 Samuel 20:2, then read the passages below in canonical order.
  • Compare how Job, Psalms and Romans each treat the theme.
  • Consider the lives of Jesus, Abraham and Peter and how their stories intersect with it.
  • Widen the study to related themes: Resurrection, Rich, The, Immortality and Worldliness.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bible say about death?

The Bible addresses death across 177 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Job, Psalms and Romans. Closely related themes include Resurrection, Rich, The, Immortality and Worldliness. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, Abraham, Peter and David.

How many Bible verses are about death?

The Bible references death in 177 verses (King James Version).

Where does the Bible first mention death?

In canonical order, the first of these passages is 1 Samuel 20:2: “And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. shew: Heb. uncover mine ear”

Which people in the Bible are associated with death?

Jesus, Abraham, Peter, David and Jonathan.

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